HTX-245 Mini Handheld 2m/70cm FM Amateur Transceiver
(190-1106)                 Operation                  Faxback Doc. # 58622

Turning On/Off The Transceiver

To turn on the transceiver, hold down PWR for about 1 second.  The radio 
beeps once if the key tone feature is enabled.  Then the current battery 
voltage briefly appear and the last used frequency appears.  To turn the 
transceiver off, press POWER again.

Setting The Squelch Level

Turn on the transceiver then press F + SET.  The current squelch setting 
(0 to 5) and sq appear.  Repeatedly press /\ or \/ to change the squelch 
setting.  A higher number reduces noise in-between transmissions while a 
lower number allows you to hear a weak transmission.  Turn off the 
transceiver to store the setting or press PTT. 

Temporarily Opening Squelch

If you use the Tone Squelch (CTCSS) feature (see "Setting the CTCSS Tones" 
in Faxback Doc. # 58623), you might not hear a transmission on the current 
frequency.  To temporarily open the squelch so you can hear all
transmissions on the frequency, hold down M.  To resume normal operation, 
release M.

Note: While you hold down M, the display lights and the following settings
      display in order: Squelch, Repeater Offset for the selected band,
      Receiving Subaudible Frequency and Transmitting Subaudible frequency
      (see "Setting the CTCSS Tones" in Faxback Doc. # 58623).

Selecting Frequencies (Direct Tuning) And Receiving Transmissions

You tune to the desired frequencies in the VFO (variable frequency 
oscillator) mode.  Press VFO to select this mode (if necessary). You can 
either step to a specific frequency or directly select the frequency.  
Follow these steps to select a band and frequency.

1.  Repeatedly press F + BAND until you see the transceiver display a
    frequency from the desired band.  The bands change in the order: VHF,
    weather, UHF.

2.  Select a frequency using one of the following methods.

    Using CH:  Rotate CH clockwise or counterclockwise to select a 
    frequency (or channel for the weather band).  The frequency changes in 
    increments you set (see "Setting the Frequency Step" in Faxback Doc. #
    58623) for each rotation click.  Hold down F while rotating CH to
    change the frequency by 1 MHz increments regardless of the selected
    step frequency.

    Using \/ and /\: Repeatedly press (or hold down) \/ or /\ until the 
    desired frequency appears.

    Using Direct Key Entry:  Use the number keys to directly enter a 
    frequency, including the three numbers to the right of the decimal.
    (You do not enter the decimal point.)

    Note:  You must enter three digits to the right of the decimal place.
           For some frequencies, the indicator (75 50 25) appears after 
           you enter two numbers.  When you enter the last number, the 
           indicator disappears unless you set the frequency step to 12.5.  
           In that case you see a small 25, 50, or 75 as a fourth digit, 
           depending upon the frequency entered.

3.  Set VOL to a comfortable listening level. 

    Note:  If the transceiver picks up unwanted, weak transmissions, set
           the squelch to a different level.  (See "Setting the Squelch
           Level" above.)

Transmitting

There are two basic types of communication possible with this transceiver: 
radio-direct-to-radio (simplex) or radio-to-repeater-to-radio (duplex).  
Simplex operation uses the same frequency to send and receive.  Duplex 
operation uses one frequency to transmit and another to receive.  For more 
information about duplex, see "Understanding Repeaters," below.

CAUTION:  It is illegal to transmit if you do not have at least a 
          Technician Class license issued by the FCC.

Follow these steps to transmit.

1.  Select the desired band and frequency using manual or direct entry. 

2.  Hold the transceiver about 3 inches from your mouth. 

3.  Hold down PTT, then speak slowly and clearly into the microphone. 

4.  Release PTT when you finish transmitting. 

Understanding Repeaters

Operation through a repeater, where you transmit on one frequency and 
receive on another, is called duplex operation.  Operation direct to 
another station, where you transmit and receive on the same frequency, is 
called simplex operation.

A repeater is a station that receives a signal on one frequency (the input 
frequency) and then retransmits that signal on a different frequency (the 
output frequency).  Repeater antennas are typically located at the tops of 
tall buildings or on antenna towers, so a relatively low-power signal can 
reach the repeater. The repeater retransmits the signal at a higher power.
This gives your transceiver the ability to communicate over a much greater
range.

To use a repeater, you must know the repeater's input and output 
frequencies.  Repeaters are usually identified by their output frequency.  
Thus, a repeater that has an output frequency of 146.94 is referred to as 
"the 146.94 repeater."  To determine the input frequency, you must know 
the frequency offset (typically 600 kHz for the 2-meter band and 5 MHz for 
the 70-cm band) and the offset direction (+ if you add 600 kHz to the 
output, or - if you subtract 600 kHz from the output).

Whether the offset is positive or negative depends on:

  which part of the band the repeater operates on.

  local convention.

  proximity of repeaters using the same two frequencies.

To determine the offset and the direction, obtain a copy of The ARRL 
Repeater Handbook (available from your local RadioShack store or the ARRL)
That publication lists the locations of repeaters as well as their 
frequency and offset information.

A (+) above the displayed frequency indicates a positive offset, while a 
(-) above the frequency indicates a negative offset.  If neither (+) nor 
(-) appears, the transceiver is set for simplex operation.

Setting The Repeater Offset Frequency

The transceiver's default repeater offset is 600 kHz for the VHF band and 
5 MHz for the UHF band.  As the display shows all frequencies in MHz, you 
see .60 (MHz) for VHF and 5.0 (MHz) for UHF.  Follow these steps to change 
the offset.

Note:  This setting only affects the VFO mode.  If you saved a frequency 
       offset in a memory location, that setting is not affected. 

1.  Press F + SET.

2.  Rotate CH until r1 and the current VHF band offset value appear. 

3.  Repeatedly press /\ or \/ to change the offset to a new value.

4.  Rotate CH until r2 and the current UHF band offset value appear. 

5.  Repeatedly press /\ or \/ to change the offset to a new value ranging
    from .00 (no offset) to 8.00 MHz.

6.  Press PTT to store the setting and exit the menu.

Turning Duplex Operation On/Off And Changing The Offset Direction

To use the transceiver with a repeater in duplex mode, you must set either 
a (+) or (-) repeater offset direction.  To turn on duplex operation for 
use with a repeater in the VFO mode, press F + +/-.  The current offset 
indicator (+ above or - below) appears above the displayed frequency.  To 
turn off duplex operation, repeatedly press F + +/- until neither (+) nor 
(-) appears.

Memory Operation

Your transceiver has 50 standard memory locations that you can use to 
store frequencies for quick access.  You can store frequencies used for 
the VHF, weather, and UHF bands.  When you store a frequency, all other 
settings associated with that frequency (such as the repeater offset and 
CTCSS tones) are stored as well.

Storing A Transmit/Receive Frequency

1.  Select a band using F + VFO.

2.  Select the frequency you want to store using CH or direct frequency
    entry.

    Once you select a frequency, the other values such as the repeater 
    offset and the CTCSS tones for that frequency are also stored in the 
    memory location.  To select other settings for that frequency, see 
    "Setting the Repeater Offset Frequency" above and "Setting the CTCSS
    Tones" in Faxback Doc. # 58623.

3.  Press F + ME.  The last used memory location appears and MR flashes.

4.  Repeatedly press /\ or \/, or turn CH, to select the desired memory
    location.  ----- appears if the memory location is empty.

5.  Press F + ME again to store the selected frequency and exit the memory
    mode.  If a memory location already had a frequency stored in it, the
    new frequency is stored in its place.

Recalling Memories

To recall saved memory settings, press MR.  MR appears and the last used 
memory location number appears beneath MR.  Then turn CH or press /\ or \/ 
to select a different memory location.  To return to the VFO mode, press 
VFO.

Checking Memory Location Settings

To check all the settings stored in a memory location, press MR, then 
rotate CH (or use /\ or \/) to select the desired memory location.  Then 
hold down M. The settings stored in the memory location appear in sequence
starting with the squelch setting value and ending with the frequency.

Clearing A Single Memory

Follow these steps to clear any single memory location.  (To clear all 
memory locations see "Resetting the Transceiver" in Faxback Doc. # 58624.)

1.  Press MR.  MR and the last used memory location number appear.

2.  Repeatedly press /\ or \/, or rotate CH, to select the desired memory
    location.

3.  Press F + CLR.  The selected memory location is cleared and the next
    location in sequence appears.

4.  Press VFO to exit the memory mode.

Using The Calling-Frequency Memory

The calling-frequency memory location lets you quickly jump to a specific 
frequency at any time.  The preset calling frequency is 146.52 MHz in the 
VHF band and 446.00 MHz in the UHF band.  you can store a different 
frequency into this memory, as well as other settings associated with that 
frequency, such as the repeater offset and CTCSS tone.

1.  Press CALL to display the current calling frequency.  The frequency 
    (such as C146.56) appears.

2.  To change the stored frequency, press VFO then enter a new frequency. 

3.  Press F + CM to store the selected frequency in memory.

To enable the calling frequency, press CALL at any time.  The transceiver 
immediately tunes to that stored frequency with the settings you 
programmed.  To exit the calling-frequency mode, press VFO.

Scanning Operation

Scanning For Active Frequencies

1.  To search for activity on a frequency press SC. The transceiver begins
    to scan up or down the band's full frequency range.  The decimal point
    flashes as the transceiver scans.  The radio stops on each active
    frequency for 8 seconds.

2.  To change the scanning direction, press /\ or \/.

3.  To stop on a frequency or stop scanning, press SC again.

Scanning Standard Memory Locations

1.  Press MR (so MR appears), then press SC.  The decimal point flashes 
    while the transceiver scans all but empty locations.

2.  To change the scanning direction, press /\ or \/.

3.  To stop scanning and return to the VFO mode, press VFO.

(BR EB 2/15/00)